Skelton escaped from OCCC after he climbed through a hole in the shower area of Annex 1 to get into the ceiling and onto the building's roof. He then jumped off and escaped through a perimeter gate, which was unlocked. At the time, Skelton was at OCCC awaiting trial for burglary and was classified as medium custody.

"My assessment is this escape should not have happened," Public Safety Director Ted Sakai told reporters at a Friday news conference.

Parts of the investigation are still pending, including possible staff misconduct, but the Department was able to release some preliminary findings into how Skelton escaped.

After jumping down from the roof of Annex 1, Skelton walked around the back of the building and followed the fence line along Kamehameha Highway, which turns into Dilligham Boulevard. The investigation confirms that once Skelton jumped off the roof, he walked around the back of the Annex, through the unlocked gate, along the fence line and out along the edge of the parking lot. He was shielded by parked vehicles, and exited the facility grounds in darkness through the main entrance.

Sakai said last year, Annex 1 was converted into a medium security building because of overcrowding. The building was originally built for inmates on work release.

"Unfortunately, when we did these retrofits in annex 1, we failed to consider that the ceiling and the roof may have been vulnerable," said the DPS director.

Original reports said Skelton was present at two headcounts during the midnight shift. But after further review, it was determined he was last seen at the 10 p.m. headcount and left the facility sometime between 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. That means a corrections officer or officers counted Skelton present at the 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. head counts when he had already been gone for hours.

Sakai says an ongoing investigation could result in the person or persons responsible being disciplined or perhaps fired. He described what corrections officers are required to do during a head count.

"They're required to look at every inmate," he said. "They are required to observe flesh and they are required to observe some movement like breathing, you know if they're sleeping."

Since the escape, policy has been tightened at OCCC so that all gates are secured at all times. The roof of Annex 1 and the ceiling in the shower were reinforced to prevent escape. In addition, razor wire has been added to the perimeter fence and an additional gate was installed to add an extra element of security around the Annex. Lighting around that building and several others was fortified and the facility will be adding more lighting along the fence.

The Department is also looking into ways to upgrade security around the fence line of OCCC and other facilities with motion sensors that are connected to cameras.

"Before the escape, we had already arranged with a consultant to assess the perimeter security of all of our facilities. They surveyed the fence lines at all jail and prison facilities statewide," said Sakai. "Their assessment included sensors and cameras around the entire fence of OCCC. This will cost about $200,000 to purchase and install."

Sakai said DPS lacks the funds to install the motion sensors and cameras right away, but will request the additional money from state lawmakers.

Skelton was captured by Sheriffs on the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force on June 18. The manhunt was a joint effort between Sheriffs and Honolulu Police.

While Sakai said the escape should have been prevented, he noted the poor design of OCCC and the need to build another facility in Hawaii.

"The modules are the only secure parts of OCCC that we have and those are packed to the gills," he said. "No question to me that we need a new facility."

Timeline: Daniel Skelton's escape & capture

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Daniel Skelton

Honolulu sheriffs and police were in pursuit of 23-year-old Daniel Skelton who escaped from the O'ahu Community Correctional Center Monday morning at 6 a.m.

One security flaw after another... And a corrections escapee exposed them all! Good evening, I'm Paula Akana. And I'm Yunji de Nies. Public safety officials tell us tonight Daniel Skelton walked through the main entrance when he left the O-triple-C facility in Kalihi... He remained on the loose for two days. KITV4's Andrew Pereira joins with details of what was FAR from an elaborate escape, Andrew? Yunji and Paula, there were several opportunities to stop Skelton in his tracks ... those opportunities turned into slip-ups. 29 53 By the time 23-year-old Daniel Skelton was found in Nuuanu, he had been on the run for 2 days... And had dyed his hair orange and painted his face black. Public Safety Director Ted Sakai says two days of intense searching could've been easily prevented. TED SAKAI: "MY ASSESSMENT IS THIS ESCAPE SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED." When Skelton climbed into an air duct of a building known as Annex 1 and onto the roof, the first serious security flaw came to light. In 2013, Annex 1 was converted to house medium security inmates because of overcrowding. TED SAKAI: "UNFORTUNATEL Y WHEN WE DID THESE RETROFITS IN ANNEX 1, WE FAILED TO CONSIDER THAT THE CEILING AND THE ROOF MAY HAVE BEEN VULNERABLE." Actually, it was hardly even kid-proof. After Skelton removed some ceiling tiles, he dropped eight feet from the roof of Annex 1. From there he encountered a gate, and another flaw. TED SAKAI: "AND THAT GATE WAS NOT CLOSED AND LOCKED." ANDREW PEREIRA: "ONCE SKELTON WAS PAST THAT UNLOCKED GATE, HE WALKED ALONG THIS LINE OF PARKED CAR TO CONCEAL HIMSELF FROM THE GUARD TOWER AND ACTUALLY ESCAPED FROM THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE PRISON. A REVIEW OF SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS SHOWS THAT IT TOOK SKELTON LESS THAN TWO MINUTES TO REACH DILLINGHAM BOULEVARD." TED SAKAI: "ONCE HE GOT OFF THE ROOF HE HAD VIRTUALLY FREE REIGN." The mistakes started well before that.. Slip-ups that could cost a corrections officer or officers their jobs. Skelton was last seen at OCCC at 10 p.m. During two additional head counts at 1:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. he was counted present, but had already been gone for hours. TED SAKAI: "THEY'RE REQUIRED TO LOOK AT EVERY INMATE, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO OBSERVE FLESH AND THEY ARE REQUIRED TO OBSERVE SOME MOVEMENT LIKE BREATHING 910 YOU KNOW IF THEY'RE SLEEPING." Improvements have been made to OCCC following Skelton's escape. That includes hardening the ceiling in Annex 1... a mandate that all gates remain closed and locked at all times... an additional gate in the area... increased amounts of razor wire and erecting more lights. TED SAKAI: "I WANT TO ASSURE THE PUBLIC THAT WE TAKE THIS OF COURSE VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY AND WE'VE MADE SEVERAL IMPROVEMENTS AT OCCC IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA." Sakai ordered a review of fence lines at all jails and prisons and wants to add sensors and additional cameras to OCCC. That would take $200-thousand dollars, money the department doesn't have but will request from lawmakers. The corrections officer or officers under investigation by DPS for those missed head counts don't face criminal charges, but could possibly lose their jobs.

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